{promenading my way through the farm life, one day at a time}

In fear of sounding melodramatic or leading anyone to think that things are worse then they are, I am going to say plainly that I am in need of taking a hiatus from my blog {and most definitely a ‘less aggressive’ daily viewing/participation of social media in general} No need to jump to conclusions that High Heels in the Barnyard is going to the grave- I will return; I promise you that. Like a flower laying dormant in the winter, it comes back with more life & beauty when the weather is just right in the spring and it has taken the much needed rest season.

Thank you to all you faithful of this community here. I look forward to returning and anticipate the sweet season I am entering now.

All I’ve wanted to do recently, is to sit and read and create and forget the to-do lists reeling through my mind. So I’ve taken the chances, as they present themselves, to sit and enjoy my families and friend’s company; for I know that all too soon the seasons will change and the business of the daily farm life will be the master of my time.

I so long to be content in the here and now. Isn’t it so challenging to not be completely overwhelmed by the to-do’s of the here and now? Or the unknown of what tomorrow holds? In order to have this farm be successful, we are adding a few new things {which I will share about later} and adding some new directions to our current business repertoire. This requires lots of thought, lots of energy, lots of planning, lots of doing. And I tend to get snatched in an eddy of all the details like a leaf in a river.

This season will pass, I know that for sure. But in the mean time, I’ll continue to share here and hopefully it will be an encouragement that you are not alone if you are experiencing a similar season ;)

This week has flown by! I can’t believe it’s Wednesday already! I haven’t taken much time this week to capture the winter scenes around the farm, but that is totally fine. I’m just glad I have the desire to take photos again ;)

I have continued to do a great deal of thinking about this blog in general. This morning, I had the pleasure of speaking in an English class at OSU. It was so encouraging for me to take the time to think through why I blog, what I choose to blog about, and what our farm is and how it is benefited from the blog and then share with Kristin Griffin’s Creative Food Writing Class. I was honored and thankful to be asked. Kristin, I hope our paths cross often ;)

After this morning, I rode the wave of energy and excitement right on into doing our personal financials…. needless to say, my afternoon was not as thrilling or encouraging as my morning. But you can’t live everyday like a superstar- well you can; but you just might not get much done {or make much money ;) }

As usual on Mondays, we are running around doing a million things at once, trying to get everything in order so that the rest of the week won’t be too crazy. The boys are moving sheep to a new paddock, bedding & feeding the cattle in the barn, feeding pigs, and preparing to catch our oldest layer flock tonight {they are at the end of their production and now will be sold or butchered to become stewing hens} I’ve been grocery shopping and working on a presentation for a class at OSU I’m speaking at on Wednesday. All and all, it’s been a relatively good day. Hope yours was good too!

Loss is never easy. But you know that once the rain stops pouring, that the dark clouds will roll back, and a new season will come; hopefully with some sunshine and a rainbow or two to make things better. Tyler’s Grandma, on his Mom’s side, went to sleep in the Lord this past Saturday morning. The memorial is today. May her memory be eternal. My thoughts and prayers are with those who were close with her, and especially to her six children and many many grandchildren & her few great grandchildren. I was honored to know her and to be apart of her family & legacy.

The time between the two season of Farmers’ Markets here in Corvallis, is always so challenging. Here at Afton Field Farm, we don’t grow very much of our own veggies, so when there is no market, there are limited veggies. And my body just aches for something to add to our pork and beans.

Here is my first attempt at a video, sharing with you my basket full of goodies from the Saturday Farmers’ Market. The video wasn’t nominated for a Golden Globe Award. And I didn’t win best supporting female actress. But I learned a lot about crafting a creative video- which was the main point of me filming the exciting experience of what I picked up at the market…